I first remember finding out about Max Brooks when I found a copy of his Zombie Survival Guide at the Borders in Columbus Circle many years ago. I loved it and World War Z, and I also enjoyed Devolution. I was very happy to get an eARC of Tiger Chair in exchange for an honest review.

My only complaint about this was that it was too short! This short story (or maybe a novelette?) take the form of a long letter home from a Chinese soldier in occupied Los Angeles after an invasion of the US by China. Written in Mr. Brooks’s trademark style of first person info dumping, this story was hard to put down. I’m looking forward to whatever he writes next.

I was super hesitant going into this short story because despite LOVING a previous Max Brooks novel, the overall plot of this story wasn't super interesting to me. This was a super quick read and it felt even quicker than it's 50 pages. But, because of how short it was, it left a lot to be desired. I left the story confused and not quite understanding what happened, but that could be completely my fault as someone who doesn't read much literature about war scenarios. I also didn't really like the way the main character talks about Chinese people and I can't tell if it's supposed to just be the character that's like that or if it's the author's feelings put onto the characters. Otherwise, this was just fine. I didn't feel like I wasted my time, but I probably shouldn't have requested this in the first place.

Interesting short story but I was hoping to like this more than I did. The world building was good like the rest of Max Brooks’ books I’ve read but this would of done better if it was fleshed out more.

Im not much of a short story reader but I’ve loved works from the author before so I decided to pick this up. The story is about a fictional future war between the US and China and a Chinese soldiers experiences on the front in Los Angeles.

I’m not sure what I was expecting going into this but I really liked it. There’s a lot of story here for such a short length and I was really drawn into it. The level of detail almost makes you think that this story is real. I love the way the futuristic tech was written into the story while still sounding realistic and not too sci-fi. The author does an amazing job of bringing you into this world.

Overall I really liked this story. I can see this staying a standalone story but I would 100% read more of this universe. It’s super short so can be read in one sitting. Overall I loved this and highly recommend it.

Sorry I couldn’t get past more than a dozen pages of this blatant propaganda. When has China ever threatened to invade the USA?

Tiger Chair takes place in a dystopian not-so-distant future during the next world war. We read the contraband letter of a Chinese soldier to his childhood best friend. He writes the realities of the war on America and the rebel warfare they are facing as well as his desperation for the “forever war” to end before he ends up serving next to the son whose life he has missed out on during deployment.

I thought this was an interesting take on warfare and what this could look like with technology. It was grim and realistic. Max Brooks is a fantastic author and does a great job with this work as well. The imagery was gripping and harrowing. The length was perfect to get the point across without belaboring it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for access to this ebook in exchange for an honest review!

This was a heavy but sobering read. Max Brooks imagines a future that feels a bit too close for comfort. LA has been taken in a World War but the residents are fighting back in unexpected ways. A super short read.

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

Tiger Chair is a new short story from Max Brooks. Much like World War Z, Brooks uses a first-person narrative (here, an epistolary device rather than oral history interviews) to lend a personal immediacy to events with a global scope. In a secret letter to a childhood friend, a Chinese military officer describes an invasion of the U.S. and the officer's resulting disillusionment. Again, much like World War Z, Tiger Chair does some compelling/striking world building that reveals truths about our current world even if the China aspects are not super developed. I'm sure that fans of Brooks will also enjoy this one!

An interesting short read. The storyline will hold your attention. I would like to see the author flesh this story out into a full book. The premise of the book is intriguing. I would definitely read more of this storyline.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

A short vignette that hits to the heart of what may happen if certain decisions are made and buttons pushed. A front-line reflection on the cost of war.

My thanks to Amazon Original, Max Brooks and Netgalley.
This was a well written short story, and gosh only knows how much I love Max....but, I wanted more. As usual Mr. Brooks reeled me in, but this time I was left dangling. Damn it!

Max Brooks fan for life after World War Z! This short story was incredible. Cannot wait to read what he does next!

I was recently lucky enough to receive a copy of the new short story from acclaimed author Max Brooks, Tiger Chair, which instantly grabbed my attention. Brooks is an author I have a lot of love for, especially as his two main novels are huge favourites of mine. This includes his most iconic work, World War Z, which I had an exceptional time listening to a few years ago due to its complex story and the impressive array of celebrity narrators associated with the audiobook version of it. Brooks followed this up a couple of years ago with the compelling horror read, Devolution, that saw an isolated community attacked by sasquatches in an outstanding and exciting read. Devolution ended up being one of my favourite books of 2020 and ensured that I would check out anything else that came my way from Brooks. As such, I made sure to read through Tiger Chair as soon as a got it, as I was intrigued by the content.

This was a very interesting read from Brooks that I was able to power through in a short amount of time. Set in the future, Tiger Chair is written as a secret letter from a Chinese officer involved in a fictional invasion of the United States to a friend back home. In this letter, the officer describes the various hardships of the invasion, including the escalating insurgency in Los Angeles, who are pushing his soldiers to the limit with their intense attacks and low-tech strategies. However, his priority in writing this potentially treasonous letter is to highlight his despair at the ineffective and inflexible strategies of his side, which care more for propaganda than the lives of their soldiers and the civilians, and his desire to see the war come to an end.

I felt this was a rather interesting choice of story for Brooks to write, and it reminded me of the cynical memories of a professional soldier during the zombie wars of World War Z. Brooks paints a grim and gritty story of survival and duty in the Tiger Chair, and you can easily feel the frustration and fear of the protagonist as he attempts to highlight his feelings about how the war is being run and the various lies he and his soldiers have been fed by their superiors. The author really captures the way that the protagonist is caught between loyalty to his country and his anger at how events have unfolded, especially as he is powerless to impart any effective change to the situation.

I was quite impressed by the various scenarios that Brooks imagined for this future war in Tiger Chair, and his vision for how events might unfold in this scenario, as well as the technology that would be utilised for it, is very fascinating. While I am sure that there will be some criticism of Brooks trying to imagine the feelings of Chinese soldiers in a war they might not even undertake, I felt that the Tiger Chair was more of a general warning about the futilities of war, and the frustrations of the lower ranks at the mistakes of their politically motivated superiors. Indeed, many of the issues the protagonist raises could be applied to many other historical or current wars, and there are several allusions to them in the plot.

Brooks does also attempt to get into the Chinese mindset, which I honestly think he did a good job of considering he had less than 50 pages in which to do so. There is an interesting examination of the national identity and how their history and culture would influence them into going to war, and the various opinions people within the country would have about these battles. Brooks also includes some commentary of recent well-known events and controversies involving China, which is more geared towards central criticism than specific critiques of the Chinese. For example, while he mentions the way in which China influences American media and movies for their own purposes, the protagonist’s resulting criticism are more directed towards the media companies that allowed them to happen as they sacrificed their principles for money. These and other observations an about current society are quite interesting and make for quite a compelling story.

Overall, I felt that Tiger Chair was a compelling and intense short story from Brooks that brings together some intriguing ideas and predictions. While I probably would have avoided Tiger Chair if it weren’t Brooks writing it, mainly because I prefer full-length novels to short stories, I’m glad I checked this out, and it ended up being a fascinating and powerful read.

I really tried to love this short story but I don’t think I appreciated it as much as I should have. I may not have been in the right mood. I think it started too abruptly and I needed to be eased in.

Max Brooks does it again. I need more now!

Thank you to Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley for providing an eARC for an honest review.

Super quick and super satisfying read from Max Brooks. At first glance this is a war story but this is so much more, it's a story about the human spirit and resilience. Some of the scariest parts of this story is how possible it could all be to reality. Definitely worth the investment in this bite sized read

Not what I expected but holy hell was this fantastic! China attacks the US and Max really goes into the horror or war. This was a short story was so intriguing and engaging. Read or listen or both. Totally great!

A sobering short story about the horrors of war. In the not-too-distant future, China has invaded the western United States and is facing strong resistance from those living in the occupied territory. The war, which was supposed to be a quick and decisive victory on the part of the Chinese, has been dragging on for years with no end in sight. Chinese troops are growing disillusioned, and Tiger Chair is one “patriotic” officer's attempt at exposing the truth of the conflict.

Although this tale revolves around a fictional future war, it's a story as old as time … or as old as the human race, anyway. If you slightly change the details concerning nationalities and the methods and machines of war, I daresay this “letter” could have been written about pretty much any current or historical conflict, as it focuses primarily on how the big wigs in charge make questionable decisions and people die, both soldiers and civilians.

This is a well-written piece that really brings home the awfulness of war. Although there's no major gore, it's probably not a great read for the squeamish. The plot delves slightly into science fiction, but not significantly so. While it's set in the future with some futuristic technology, it's all very realistic feeling.

With that said, there's really not a whole lot to this story. It's just a letter that one guy writes home. There's no climax and no characters to really get to know, and all of the action is being relayed after the fact. It's not an uninteresting piece and it certainly has merit, but it's absolutely not a traditional short story. It still mostly managed to hold my attention, but I did feel that it dragged a little in certain spots due to the above.

My overall rating: 3.45 stars, rounded down. If you enjoy war stories, you'll likely find this one worth the short amount of time that it takes to read it. It's certainly unique.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for providing me with a copy of this story to review. Its publication date was June 1, 2024.

Tiger Chair is a new short story from Max Brooks who can masterfully craft almost anything into a believable apoplectic scenario. I have loved his work since World War Z and have had the pleasure of requesting several of his books through NetGalley for review.

This short story is written from the perspective of a disillusioned Chinese soldier writing his trepidations to a close friend knowing if caught it could end his life being considered anti war propaganda. At this point in his life he is unsure he cares as he has watched a slow movement growing as more and more troops mutiny and even sabotage their own missions. My only complaint is it’s too short. And even that isn’t a complaint really I can see this fully fleshed out into something larger as the correspondence goes back and forth or even as the MC might choose to be bolder and join the movement. So many options. But nonetheless it is a fascinating and all to real scenario of habitation by the early victors to hold a city in what has become obvious to be a never ending conflict between two armies.
If you enjoy this authors writing style done generally in an after action style report or collection of interviews (this book is solely the narrative of one soldier writing a friend) you will enjoy this book and as always I will recommend checking it out!

Max Brooks imagines another frightening future this time without zombies, but with something arguably much more sinister for its realism. A thrilling use of speculative fiction. This book imagines a future that includes details the author has carefully researched. Fifty pages of bracing work.